Meaningful research isn't just about collecting evidence—it's about understanding the people behind it.
Although much of our project involves constructing a database and developing an impact assessment framework, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that every data point ultimatelyrepresents an organisation working to improve people's lives. This week helped bridge that gap between theory and practice.
My main contribution this week was developing our project's stakeholder map. Working collaboratively with my team, we first identified the organisations and individuals with a stake in the research before I expanded this into a more detailed analysis of their interests, influence and relationships. Mapping these connections made me realise that successful research depends on much more than a sound methodology. The usefulness of our findings will ultimately depend on how well we engage with those who will (we hope) benefit from them.
Alongside this, we met with our research supervisor, Mengchen, to discuss the project's direction. One particularly useful outcome of the meeting was refining the structure of our literature review. Rather than reading broadly without a clear focus, we reorganised our review around four guiding questions: What are social enterprises? Why are they important? How can their impact be measured? And what factors influence that impact? Having these questions has made the literature feel far more purposeful, and has made the landscape of social enterprise research seem more like a conversation that our own research can contribute to.
The highlight of my week, however, came away from my laptop. As part of the SDG Impact Lab programme, I volunteered at the PowerHouse Games, helping to run inclusive sports activities for children from several Oxford primary schools. Having previously worked with disabled children, I was struck by how different it felt to facilitate activities that brought together children with and without additional needs. The experience reinforced an important lesson about leadership: inclusion rarely happens by accident -it takes sustained consideration and care.
One activity in particular stayed with me. The rules prohibited running so that children with different physical abilities could participate equally. As the games became more competitive, some of the more able-bodied children gradually abandoned the rule in favour of winning. Without intervention from group leaders, the environment quickly became less enjoyable and less accessible for those the rule had been designed to support. It reminded me that inclusive leadership often means protecting principles that may seem inconvenient in the moment. In the long run, inclusivity is far more important than convenience. As a leader, it’s crucial to set this precedent through your own behaviour and to ensure that this principle is continually sustained, even when the intervention necessary to do so feels awkward or inefficient.
We also visited CommuniTea Café in Blackbird Leys and toured several local community projects with local icon Natty ‘Mark’ Samuels. While Blackbird Leys is often characterised by its socioeconomic challenges, what struck me most was its extraordinary sense of connectedness. Everywhere we visited, there were organisations creating opportunities for people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities to engage, support one another and build stronger communities. Seeing these projects firsthand gave me a much richer understanding of the kinds of organisations our research seeks to represent.
Overall, this week has shifted my perspective on the project. While the database and impact framework remain our tangible outputs, I'm increasingly aware that our research is ultimately about people. If we can develop a framework that helps social enterprises demonstrate the value they create, then we may also help strengthen the case for their continued support, so they can continue to serve communities just like Blackbird Leys. Furthermore, by analysing shortcomings in organisations’ efficacy, perhaps we can help these organisations to take their impacts even further.